Clothes dryer



y 7, 1963 R. CLENSY 3,088,600

CLOTHES DRYER Filed Jan. 18, 1960 2L 2 2o 14 f0 76 INVENTOR. Emma/.7 L. CLENSY ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,088,600 CLOTHES DRYER Richard Leroy Clensy, Columbia Station, Ohio (12876 Fountain Court, Cleveland 36, Ohio) Filed Jan. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 2,945 1 Claim. (Cl. 211-166) This invention relates to clothes dryers and more particularly to clothes dryers wherein a plurality of lines is rotatably supported by a central column.

An object of this invention is to provide a clothes dryer wherein the clothes supporting lines are shiftable about the axis of a supporting column.

Umbrella-type clothes dryers with clothes line supporting elements rigid to the supporting column have disadvantages which have been overcome by the clothes dryer illustrated and described herein. By utilization of a swivel-support element, a mode of operation is achieved which facilitates the placing of the clothes to be dried on the lines provided therefor. The container in which the damp clothing is transported to the clothes dryer may be placed on the ground where it will remain while the damp clothing is removed therefrom and hung on the lines. The movable clothes supporting elements make it possible to shift the unoccupied lines to the location of the clothes container which eliminates the burden of shifting the container from time to time along the line on which the clothes are to be hung. This materially reduces the physical strain required in handling damp heavy clothes for the user of the clothes line as well as reduces the time involved in completing the placing of the damp clothes on the clothes dryer.

The usefulness of the clothes dryer is also enhanced by the provision of structure capable of carrying the clothes in a circular path, thus presenting the 'clothes to be dried in a varying relationship to the direction of air motion. This increases the speed and uniformity of drying by eliminating the possibility of blanketing by large heavy pieces which would otherwise prevent the flow of necessary air for evaporation for the entire quantity of clothes hung on the dryer.

The space required for the clothes dryer of the type disclosed herein is less than that of rigid types since the clothes are loaded on the dryer from a single location. Accordingly, the dryer is fully operative although a substantial portion of it may be inaccessible. This reduces the amount of useful space which must be occupied by the dryer.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a clothes dryer wherein the clothes supporting elements are freely movable about the vertical axis of the support.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a clothes dryer wherein the clothes supporting elements are adjustably fixed at an elevation above ground level as required by the height of the user and the length of the clothes to be supported.

Another object of this invention is to provide a clothes dryer wherein the clothes supporting elements are carried by a shaft adjustably affixed to anti-friction elements supported by a column permanently anchored in the ground in a vertical position.

Other objects and advantages more or less ancillary to the foregoing, and the manner in which all the various objects are realized, will appear in the following description, which, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, sets forth the preferred embodiment of the invention.

:In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view in elevation showing the clothes-dryer assembly;

2 FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the pivotal support; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Reference is made to FIG. 1 of the drawings wherein is shown a hollow column 10 which is supported in a foundation 12 of concrete, or the like, in the earth. The column 10 is fixed in a vertical position for supporting the clothes-dryer assembly.

A shaft 14 has its lower end in telescoping engagement with the column 10 and carries the clothes supporting structure on its upper end. A plurality of laterally extending rigid members 16 is affixed to the shaft 14 at one end thereof and projects away from the shaft 14 in a direction generaly normal to the axis of the shaft 14. The members 16 are mounted to the shaft .14 by bolts 18 extending through holes 19 as best illustrated in FIG. 3.

Angular supports 20 for each of said members 16 are located above the members 16 for holding said members 16 in a horizontal position. The supports 20 are aflixed to the shaft 14 by bolts 22 as illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings. As in the case of the bolts 18, bolts 22 pass through a pair of holes drilled at right angles to the shaft, one hole being above the other to avoid interference of the bolts 22 and 18. In this manner two bolts aflix four members and supports to the shaft 14.

The ends of the supports 20 opposite to the ends joined to the shaft 14 are affixed to the members 16 intermediate the ends thereof by bolts 21 and hold the members 16 when a load is applied thereto. The supports 20 are of tubular rigid material in order to provide support both in an upward and downward direction for any load which may be applied to the members 16, either by the weight of the clothes or by wind blowing thereagainst.

A plurality of clothes-supporting lines 24, preferably of metal cable construction, passes through holes 25 formed in the members 16. The holes 25 are spaced along the length of the members 16 and support the lines 24 in a generally square pattern. A protective tip 26 of rubber-like or plastic material is placed over the ends of the members 16 to eliminate sharp edges and prevent possible injury to the user of the clothes dryer.

The shaft 14 is supported for rotation in respect to the column 10 by a housing 28 which has one end in telescoping engagement with the shaft 14 and adjustably affixed thereto by utilization of set screws 30. The lower end of housing 28 is flared outwardly at 29 and spaced from the shaft .14. A shoulder 32 is formed in the housing 28 having a downwardly-facing surface in a plane normal to the axis of the shaft 14. Perforated plate '34 surrounds the shaft '14 and engages the shoulder 32. A perforate plate-like retainer 36 lies beneath the plate 34, surrounds the shaft 14, and is free to rotate in respect. to the shaft 14, plate 34, and housing 28. A plurality of openings 38 in the retainer 3 6 receives spherical balls 40 and holds the balls in a pre-determined circumferential spacing about the shaft 14. A second plate '42 surrounds the shaft 14 beneath the plate 34 and retainer 36 and engages the balls 40. The second plate 42 is maintained in assembled relation with the housing 28 and shaft 14 by the spring snap ring 44 engaged in groove 43. The upper end of the column 10 engages the second plate 42 and supports the assembly mounted on shaft 14 for rotation.

The bearing assembly is placed in the housing 28 and surrounding the shaft 14 in assembled relation. The shaft 14 is then inserted into the upper end of the column 10 and is telescoped therewith until the end of the column 10 engages the bearing assembly. The clothes-dryer assembly is then supported in this position and may rotate freely due to the low-friction nature of the ball thrust bearing provided intermediate the housing and the col umn 10.

To raise or lower the clothes lines 24 in respect to the ground, the set screws 30 are loosened and appropriate change in elevation of the shaft 14 is made. When the set screws are tightened in the new position, the clothes dryer will rotate in the new position until further adjustment is made.

Having thus described this invention in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in theart to which it pertains to make and use the same, and having set forth the best mode contemplated of carrying out this invention, I state that the subject matter which I regard as being my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in what is claimed, it being understod that equivalents or modifications of, or substitutions for, parts of the above specifically described embodiments of the invention maybe made without departing from the scope of theinvention as set forth in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

A clothes dryer comprising a tubular column adapted to be anchored in the ground in a vertical position, a shaft in telescoping engagement with said column and extending above the top thereof, laterally extending rigid members affixed to said shaft above said column, a support for each of said members afixed to said shaft above said members and joined to the members associated therewith intermediate the ends of said member, a plurality of clothes supporting lines spaced apart and carried by said members, a housing adjustably affixed to said shaft, a shoulder in said housing confronting the top of said column, a plate in said housing in engagement with said shoulder, a perforate retainer adjacent said plate, a plurality of balls carried in openings in said retainer in engagement with said plate, a second plate in engagement with said balls, and a snap ring engaging said housing and second plate, said second plate engaging the top of the column for supporting said shaft for rotation in respect to said column.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 773,232 Smith Oct. 25, 1904 969,698 Hughes Sept. 6, 1910 1,049,866 Johnston Jan. 7, 1913 1,362,890 Newland Dec. 21, 1920 1,662,601 Demchuk Mar. 13, 1928 1,738,869 Cizek Dec. 10, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS 75,855 Norway Oct. 31, 1949 

